The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-02-04
WHAT THREE DRINKS DID.
A Brief Record of Their Work in New
York City for One Week

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The other day down in Delaware a
freight-train was stalled for want
of steam. Another freight-train was
behind it, and the conductor of the first
one knew it-or had known it. 1t was
his duty to see that the approaching
train was Jagged, but there the train
stood and nobody stirred. The con-
ductor had friend via him in the
caboose, and both were asleep, rem
dered stupid and senseless by drink.
The second train came on. 1t could
not stop in time. The locomotive
smashed into the caboose where the two
drunken men were sleeping and both
were killed.
On the Baltimore & Ohio road out in
Ohio, near Tiffin, freight-train left
station behind time. An express-train
was coming, but there was time to
reach the next station. 1t was a cold
night, and the engineer had got steam
up to one hundred and forty pounds in
the boiler of his engine and had taken
several drinks to keep up his own heat.
They left the station. They had only
few miles to go to reach the next
switch. Soon the conductor discovers
that the train is going slower. He
thinks nothing of it at first, but the
speed keeps decreasing more and more,
and finally he becomes alarmed. He
runs forward to the engine over the
cars and finds that the head of steam
is down to forty pounds. The fireman
is green hand and the engineer is
drunk. The locomotive now scarcely
moves. The time for the express train
to reach the station ahead is already
past. The conductor rushes after his
red light, and goes forward again as
fast as he can. 1t is too late. The
express train comes laundering along
the road. The engineer of it sees the
freight, applies the brakes and reverses
his engine; but they are too near The
locomotives crash together; some of
the cars are overturned and one takes
fire at once. The passengers are
pinned by broken pieces of the car and
can not get out. Fifteen of them are
roasted alive in that horrible furnace,
some of them with their heads and
arms out of the windows.
A policeman on the New York force
went into liquor saloon. He had
often been there before-too often, for
he had been called before the board
twenty-siX times within the year for
neglect of duty. He had come to re-
gard the rounds man whose duty it
was to report him when he was absent
from his beat during time when he
should have been ON it, as his natural
enemy. The drink made him sullen
and angry. He went out again, but it
was cold night, and soon he turned
into little shanty near by. Then the
roundsman came and found him sit
ting there, with his coat unbuttoned,
and his club and belt off, when he
should have been patrolling his beat.
He got up and walked with the rounds
man. AS they went he asked: d" Ale
you going to report meP" eyes"
You're always down on me-"
The officer turned down the street.
The disgraced policeman stood and
watched him. In an instant a pistol
shot rang out. The roundsman turned
and faced his assailant. Another shot.
With a last effort the weapon was
wrenched from the murderer's grasp
and the roundsman fell upon the street,
to die within few hours.
There IS the plain, unvarnished his
tory of what three dri4ks did in one
week. How many murders, so-called
accidents" brawls, fights, brutalities
of all sorts, do occur that are not
prompted by drink? How many beat
en- wives say of their husbands; 'He's
kind when he's not in liquor" How
many children's lives are ruined to
crafty the thirst of their parents?
dere are three drinks and their conse-
quences. Multiply them by million,
and possibly some faint idea may be
had of what drink does for this Nation.
NJ u